Playing in the Dark

Best known for her novels, Toni Morrison enters the realm of literary criticism to draw attention to the often overlooked significance of race in literature. Demonstrating ‘the impact of racism on those who perpetuate it,’ she shows that the American literary themes of freedom and individualism depend on the existence of a black population that is manifestly not free. Morrison argues that literature is never raceless, and that equating whiteness with universality is the problematic element overlooked in literary studies. Morrison denounces the ‘color-blind’ approach, and asks that we open our eyes to the realities of race, representation, and power.